While Krista, Michele and I still have a deep desire to bring God glory through the written and spoken word, we’ve come to realize that our intersections are changing addresses.  For me, I’m just a few weeks away from launching the ministry God laid on my heart years ago.  Eyes of your Heart Ministries is birthed from Ephesians 1:18, which says, “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you.”  In a day and age when hope can seem elusive and my faith is clouded by the worries and things of this world, I’m on a quest to begin seeing through the eyes of my heart.  Come join me on this journey at www.eyesofyourheart.com beginning September 16th.

Once again, thank you for giving us the opportunity to come into your homes and lives.

I’ll let Paul’s final words in the book of Colossians be my send-off to you:

May God’s grace be with you. Col 4:19 (NLT)

• I took my kids to a park, forgetting that teens from the nearby high school spend their lunch break there and fill the air with profanities.  Hours later, my four-year-old son shot off a round of expletives that had never before left his mouth.
• I met up with a friend for a short while, then gave her a hug when we had to go our separate ways.  I could smell her sweet perfume on my clothing the rest of the day.
• I served green beans with dinner.  Rather than hearing my daughter scream in protest like normal, she grabbed the salt shaker, sprinkled some on, then reminded me that she now likes this vegetable thanks to watching a friend put a little spice on it.

What do these three occurrences have in common?  They all remind me that people rub off on us, whether they’re aware of it or not.  There’s no way the teens in the park could have known that their choice of words would influence my young son’s vocabulary.  They simply talked as they normally did, thereby causing Gabe to talk in a way contrary to his normal speech.  My friend couldn’t have guessed that she’d cause me to smell like her perfume, nor could Micayla’s friend imagine that my daughter would become excited over the vegetable that just last month she protested.

Accidental rubbing off.  If people can rub off on us so quickly, I can only imagine we do the same to others.  Questions is, what do we want to rub off onto others?  Griping and complaining, or praise and adoration.

Let your conversation be gracious and attractive? so that you will have the right response for everyone.” (Colossians 4:6,NLT)

“Um, sure,” she responded, caught off guard that I came up to her as her Bible study group was leaving the room.  I knew the timing was bad, but truth be told, I was desperate.  Lola is known for praying and I urgently needed another person to help pray me through a series of trials and challenges.

Lola is one of many people I cherish in my life that pray.  I mean pray.  They don’t necessarily use nice, flowery clichés or words so big I need to be armed with a dictionary.  I’m talking about talking, to their Father.  Regularly.  They just can’t help but talk to Him.  He’s their Daddy after all and their hearts grow void and desolate if they go too long without chatting a bit with Him or just sitting to listen to what He has to say.

Colossians 4:2 says, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” 

I’m grateful to be surrounded by such incredible people who devote themselves to prayer.  They inspire me to do the same, but mostly I’m challenged to do so because I’ve seen the tremendous, unspeakable effects of prayer.  Revelations 5:8 talks about the “golden bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”  Let’s devote ourselves to filling those bowls.

For as much as I love each of these things, there is something beyond each of these roles that I once resisted, yet now find peace and comfort in.

Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.”  Colossians 3:18

Whew, you’re still with me.  I feared many would stop right there.  Before we get upset over what might seem to be the backwardness of needing to submit to another, hear me out long enough to relish the great freedom it offers us.

I’m a type-A go-getter.  I get a goal in sight and I don’t let up.  I’m known to control and overtake things.  Bad combination when married to a sweet, quiet man.  Early in our marriage I thought his lack of voice meant I should step up and take over more things (aka, I ran the house and then resented him for it).  Somehow God led me to see the beauty in His design of marriage, including the plan that I step back and allow my husband to take his rightful place as head of the house.

What happened continues to baffle me.  Instead of watching the things I worked so hard to create collapse, my husband took over and did a better job than I ever could have.  He took his position as spiritual leader more seriously and became more concerned about making sure there really was enough money for the month.  And in the process, he allowed me to step into a role that God created for me, part of which is encouraging and supporting this incredible man I’ve been blessed with.  I no longer have to fight to spur him to action, I just watch him take the reigns and enjoy the beautiful by-products as peace and love flourish in our house like never before.

I won’t pretend its always easy or painless, but I will say its so worth the effort.  So what do you say?  Are you in?

“What’s your verse say?”

“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  Colossians 3:13,” she’d cheerfully quip.  

But soon something changed.  Someone asked me for a favor and I wasn’t able to oblige.  They turned ugly and hateful, calling me names I forgot existed and even used Scripture to prove why I was such a wretched person in their book.  As my inbox flooded with insults, I became angry, depressed and resentful.  Then my little girl bounded into my lap and chanted:

“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Ouch.

I, too, have thrown temper tantrums for not getting my way—except mine were directed at the Almighty.  I’ve acted like I don’t need a Savior.  I’ve claimed parts of the Bible that bring me peace while ignoring the commands that are too challenging.  I’ve done—and do—so much requiring forgiveness.  And I have received it. 

“Micayla, tell me your verse again please.”  This time I asked not to test her, but to convict myself.  I breathed in deeply as my heart said the words along with her.

“Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” Colossians 3:13

His moment.  Or so I thought.  It wasn’t until the singing was over that I realized there were 150 other kids on the stage with him.  One of them probably flipped her dress over her head.  Another most likely picked his nose, while others waved violently at their parents.  But I didn’t catch any of that.  I saw only one child in that performance: mine.

I didn’t mean to look just at Gabe.  It’s just that I love him so much I ended up being transfixed on him.  Sounds a bit like our lives, doesn’t it?  What do we cherish the most?  Where will our gaze fall? 

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.”  Col. 3:1, NLT, emphasis mine

I can’t think of a better place to fix my gaze.